You finally were accepted into PA school (congrats!) and started your program (woohoo!). And now… you’ve failed your first quiz. You’ve prepared yourself so much for this moment, and you can’t wrap your head around why this is happening. Did you forget how to study or are your study patterns no longer working?
My professors told us during our “PA school boot camp” that the study patterns we used to use in undergrad would no longer work. Quite frankly, I did not believe them until I studied like I normally did and then failed my first quiz. So let’s get to the bottom of it today with this checklist of what not to do when it comes to studying for PA school (and the fixes for each).
4 MISTAKES TO AVOID IF YOUR STUDY PATTERNS ARE NO LONGER WORKING IN PA SCHOOL
I may have failed my first quiz, but I quickly adapted my studying methods and graduated with honors from my program. It isn’t because I was studying harder than everyone else. It’s because I believe I was studying smarter.
In other words, you want to have a plan when it comes to your studying. PA school is essentially medical school compacted into an average of 27 straight months of learning without taking any major breaks. You need to prepare yourself in order to succeed, and this is a good place to start!
1. YOU ARE CRAMMING THE NIGHT BEFORE AN EXAM OR QUIZ
Let’s be honest. Not many people were good at not procrastinating in college. I am one of those guilty ones that would cram the day before an exam even though I was warned not to. Somehow I would typically still manage to do well on them. When I started PA school and tried to do this on one of our first quizzes it backfired. I had been focusing on studying for another exam and so I put this quiz on the back burner. (Mostly because I was told by students in the previous class that it would be easy). If I remember correctly I got a 40% on it. It was not easy! Or maybe it would have been if I had taken the time to study.
You simply can no longer cram and expect to do well on exams. You need to have a study plan. What worked for me is marking down all of the exams and quizzes on a large calendar every month. I would then start reviewing material for an exam 2 weeks before the exam date and 1-2 weeks before the quiz (depending on how important the quiz was). I found that if I reviewed the material a little bit each day leading up to the date of the exam then 2 days before I would be able to weed out which material was most important to focus on and make sure I had it down.
Related: How to Prioritize Your Mental Health During PA School
2. YOU ARE TRYING TO MEMORIZE ALL OF THE MATERIAL
Do you know what I would do in undergrad? I would make a million flashcards and go through them all until I had them completely memorized. It is hilarious to think study patterns like this one would work in PA school. You simply do NOT have the time to create more work for yourself. You also don’t have the time to try and memorize all of the material because there is just simply too much. The goal is to determine which material is most important to know.
- If your professor emphasizes something in class, take note.
- If the material is already underlined or bolded or highlighted for you when it is being presented then it must be important.
- Look for buzzwords that are unique to the disorder, disease, or medication being studied.
If you can learn to avoid the fluff and focus on what will be on the exam you will do much better.
3. YOU ARE FOCUSING ON THE DETAILS AND NOT THE BIG PICTURE
Not only do you need to determine which exams and quizzes are most important percentage-wise for your grade but you also need to determine which class is worth the most credits. This will impact your overall GPA. I made this mistake once. I was so focused on doing well in one class which was worth only 2 credits, and I dropped the ball on an exam for a different class which was worth 4 credits. My grades reflected this, and I ended up with an A in the first class and a B in the second class. I thought I would be able to achieve an A in the second class without much studying because my grade in the class was already high, but I was wrong. Learn from my mistake. Spend more time on classes that are worth more credit hours. Next, spend more time studying the exams or quizzes that make up a greater percentage of the grade in that class.
Obviously, the point of PA school is to learn but you also want to do well. The truth is no matter where you focus your attention you will be studying and learning. There is not a single person that can study and learn ALL of the material. I simply want you to learn to focus your attention on the material that is most important.
4. YOU ARE EITHER STUDYING STRICTLY BY YOURSELF OR ONLY WITH OTHER PEOPLE
Now, this might sound like a preference but stay with me. I truly believe that initial studying should be done on your own. You need to be able to read and retain information, and not get distracted by silly things your classmates are doing. After you have a good understanding of the material then I do recommend studying with a classmate, particularly one that is doing well on their exams. I would not recommend studying with more than 2 other people at a time. You can quiz each other and fill in the information gaps. If you are able to teach them specific material then guess what, you know that material. You do not need to continue studying it. If your classmate starts quizzing you on something and you are like “uhh… I don’t know” then you need to mark it down as something to review later.
Another perk of studying with someone is that you can brainstorm with them on questions that may be asked. Once you have had your study session then I recommend studying the final two days before an exam on your own. At this point, you have a really good idea of where you need to focus your attention. You’ve pinned down the material you believe is important and the material that you don’t know. Now is the time to focus in a quiet place without any distractions.
Study smarter, not harder
See? Just a few adjustments here and there to your study patterns and your plan will be clear. You will not need to waste energy on deciding what you should be focusing your attention on or if you should study alone or not. I challenge you to learn what type of questions typically get asked on exams and quizzes. Once you determine this, you will have a better idea of what to study going forward. It’s possible you may not master this until your second or third semester but believe me you will start to see patterns. I hope these tips are helpful! If you are towards the end of PA school or have already graduated and have any additional advice for pre-PAs or current students please comment below!
View comments
+ Leave a comment